Automobile parking apparatus

ABSTRACT

This invention relates to a self-contained apparatus for extending an object from a central point in one of a plurality of directions and particularly to a new and improved automobile parking apparatus. The apparatus is mounted on an elevator and operates to direct a dolly having an automobile supported thereon into a stall on either side of the elevator. The apparatus includes fluid drive means coupled to the dolly through a unique pulley arrangement which multiplies the movement of the drive means to extend the dolly into a predetermined stall as desired.

United States Patent [1 1 Sanders AUTOMOBILE PARKING APPARATUS [75] Inventor: Duane V. Sanders, Spokane, Wash.

.[73] Assignee: Systematic Multi-Level Parking Company, Seattle, Wash.

[22] Filed: May 30, 1972 [21] Appl. No.: 257,956

Related US. Application Data [60] Division of Ser. No. 143,686, May 10, 1971, Pat. No. 3,679,083, Continuation of Ser. No. 704,096, Feb. 8, 1968, abandoned.

[52] US. Cl. 214/730, 214/16.1 C, 254/148 [51] Int. Cl E04b 6/06 [58] Field of Search 214/l6.l CB, 73 D,

2l4/16.l C, 16.1 CA, 16.1 D, 16.1 DB, 16.1 DC, 730; 254/148 [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,366,254 l/l968 Peter 214/l6.l CB

[451 Nov. 27, 1973 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 592,664 2/1960 Canada 214/161 C Primary ExaminerGerald M. Forlenza Assistant Examiner-George F. Abraham AttorneyGeorge B. Finnegan, Jr. et al.

[5 7] ABSTRACT This invention relates to a self-contained apparatus for extending an object from a central point in one of a plurality of directions and particularly to a new and improved automobile parking apparatus. The apparatus is mounted on an elevator and operates to direct a dolly having an automobile supported thereon into a stall on either side of the elevator. The apparatus includes fluid drive means coupled to the dolly through a unique pulley arrangement which multiplies the movement of the drive means to extend the dolly into a predetermined stall as desired.

4 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures l AUTOMOBILE PARKING APPARATUS BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This application is a division of application Ser. No. 143,686, filed May 10, 1971, (now U.S.' Pat. No. 3,679,083) which is in turn a continuation of application Ser. No. 704,096 filed Feb. 8, 1968 now abandoned.

One solution to the problem of automobile parking in congested cities has been to provide large multi-story parking garages. The use of ramps to transport a vehicle to a parking location within such garages wasted valuable spaceand time and, consequently, numerous elevator-type garages have been designed to eliminate the drawbacks of these conventional garages. A typical elevator-type garage comprises banks of storage compartments or parking stalls located on opposite sides of an elevator hoistway. The elevators are designed to lift vehicles to a predetermined height and along the hoistway or aisle into line with a selected stall. The elevators also include apparatus which moves the vehicle into the stall as directed to complete the parking operation.

Automatic parking apparatus of the type discussed above is disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,815,136 to V. K. Mayer and 2,873,864 to G. Kavanagh. These patents show particular parking appartus having hydraulic actuating means for moving a vehicle parking dolly into a designated stall. The present invention, however, pertains to a unique parking apparatus of a self-contained type which may extend an object such as a wheeled dolly from a central point without the use of external means. The apparatus is superior in'performance to previously known parking apparatus and relatively inexpensive to construct, operate and maintain.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of this invention is to provide an apparatus for extending an article from a central point without the aid of external means. More specifically, the invention is intended to provide a new and improved automobile parking apparatus for transferring dolly mounted vehicles into parking spaces on either side of an elevator.

With the above and other objects and advantages in view, the present invention pertains to a unique vehicle parking apparatus. The apparatus comprises a main frame portion for supporting a vehicle dolly and having at least one stationary sheave mounted thereto. Separate fluid drive meansare coupled to the dolly for each direction of travel through a traveling sheave which is in turn connected to a stationary sheave by means of a cable or wire rope. The sheaves are arranged so that the dolly movement is a predetermined multiple of the movement of the drive means.

In operation, the fluid drive means corresponding to a particular direction is actuated to drive the traveling sheave and hence the dolly in said direction. The sheaves are arranged to provide an enlarged movement of the'dolly into the parking stall where the vehicle is deposited. After the vehicle has been parked, the apparatus retracts" for a subsequent parking operation. The vehicle removal operation is similar in nature and the same principles apply thereto.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 3 is a view taken along the Line 3--3 of FIG. 1i 2 FIG. 4 is a view taken along the Line 44 of FIG. 1; and,

FIG. 5 shows a roping and extension diagram illustrating the operation of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawings, the invention comprises an article transfer apparatus capable of extending an object from a central point in one of a plurality of directions without the aid of external means. More specifically, the invention relates to an apparatus for extending a whee'ied dolly 10 from a central position on a vehicle elevator 11 into a parking stall 12 on either side of the elevator hoistway. In a typical embodiment, the apparatus may be used to park automobiles in multi-story parking garages of the type disclosed in U.S. Pat. Re. 23,962 to L. K. Sanders et al, or U.S. Pat. No. 2,901,129 to L. D. Sanders. The apparatus includes a pair of oppositely directed hydraulic cylinders 13 which are mounted to the elevator 11 by means ,of connecting flanges l4 and to the dolly 10 through a connecting arrangement to be described hereinafter. The cylinders 13 are designed to move a dolly-supported vehicle into a storage space on the side of the elevator 11 corresponding to the particular cylinder l3'being operated. Since each cylinder 13 is included within a similar transfer arrangement, the invention will be described with reference to only one such arrangement, it being understood that the other illustrated arrangement operates and is constructed in a similar fashion.

Each cylinder 13 includes acylinder or piston rod 16 which is driven back and forth upon operation by conventional actuating means (notshown) which is coupled thereto. The cylinder rod 16 may be connected at one end to an outboard shaft support 17 which in turn is mounted to a traveling guide and support frame 18. In another embodiment of the invention, there is the possibility that the outboard shaft support 17 may be omitted. The frame 18 ordinarily supports one or more traveling sheaves 19 which are rotatably mounted thereto by the axial member 21. The precise number of sheaves 19 depends upon the particularapplication.

The traveling sheaves 19 are directed along a'path determined by the fixed guides 22a, 22b and 22c which engage the traveling guide and support frame 18. As shown in FIG. 4, the fixed guides comprise end guides 22a and 22b and center guide 22c. The end guides 22a and 22b each comprise vertical portions 23 mounted to the deck 24 at one end and having upper and lower portions 26 and 27, respectively extending inwardly at right angles from the vertical portion 23. The portions 26 and 27 are spaced a predetermined distance apart to accommodate the flange portion 28 of the traveling guide and support frame 18. The center guide 220 comprises a vertical portion 29 and upper horizontal portion 31 forming a T therewith and lower portions 32 extending outwardly on both sides of the vertical portion 29 to receive the flange 28 of the traveling guide and support frame 18. The fixed guides 22a, 22b and 22c thus restrict the movement of the traveling guide and support frame 18. At the same time, the inner edge 33 of the dolly engages the vertical portions 29 of the fixed guides 22a and 22b to limit the dolly movement in a transverse direction.

A plurality of fixed sheaves 34 are rotatably mounted on the member 36 with their axis parallel to the axis of the traveling sheaves 19. The vertical member 36 is mounted at one end to the deck 24 and includes the upper enlarged portion 37 to retain the sheaves 34 in place. The sheaves 19 and 34 are operatively connected by a cable or wire rope 38 which is arranged in the manner shown diagrammatically in FIG. 5.

The cable 38 is connected at one end to the deck mounted cable hitch 39 and then wrapped about one of the traveling sheaves 19. The cable 38 is led back and forth between one of the fixed sheaves 34 and a corresponding traveling sheave 19. Since there is ordinarily one more traveling sheave 19 than fixed sheave 34, the cable 38 terminates from a traveling sheave 19 and extends past the deck mounted sheave 34 in an unoperated position to a deck mounted hitch 39. FIG.'5 illustrates the dolly 10 in either of two parking stalls as the traveling sheave 19 is moved outwardly from its rest position by the hydraulic cylinder 13. The distance covered by the dolly 10 is a multiple of the cylinder travel and in a typical embodiment may be in the ratio five to one though it is of course conceivable that other ratios may be employed. The direction of dolly movement is determined by operation of the cylinders 13 associated with that direction. Means may thus be provided so that the entire parking operation is performed and monitored automatically. 7

In operation, hydraulic pressure is applied to port 42 of cylinder 13 actuating the cylinder which drives the traveling sheaves 19 in the desired direction and initiates dolly travel in the same direction. After pressure has been applied to port 42 at the rear of one cylinder 13, port 43 at the rear of the other cylinder opens to the supply tank (not shown) allowing the sheaves 19 to re tract at their reduced ratio with dolly 10 traveling five feet for every foot of cylinder travel. The fluid system interconnections are conventional and therefore will not be described in detail. The dolly 10 may be normally extended until the center axis of the sheaves l9 interferes with the dolly 10. The system also operates in a similar manner to remove an automobile from a parking stall.

In a typical embodiment, one of the cylinders 13 is actuated to drive a wheeled dolly 10 in the desired direction in order to-move a vehicle into the selected parking space. No external means are required to operate the apparatus save for a power supply which operates cylinders 13. Hence, the apparatus is relatively compact and inexpensive to construct.

What has been described above are merely illustrative examples of the application of the principles of the invention. Numerous other arrangements may be readily devised by those skilled in the art which will embody the principles of the invention and fall within the spirit and scope thereof.

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus for transferring an object from a carrier in a predetermined direction comprising:

means for supporting the object on the carrier,

at least one moveable sheave rotatably mounted and moveable with respect to the means for supporting the object,

at least one stationary sheave rotatably mounted on the carrier, the axis of said sheave being parallel to the axis of the moveable sheave,

a cable fixedly mounted at one end to the carrier and extending to and about the moveable sheave and then to the stationary sheave and finally being mounted at the other end to the means for supporting the object,

drive means coupled to the moveable sheave for moving said sheave and the means for supporting the object in a predetermined direction, the movement of said supporting means bearing a fixed relation to the movement of the sheave a traveling guide and support frame connected to the moveable sheaves and one end of the drive means at the end and slidably engaging the other end of the drive means and,

fixed guide means engaging the traveling guide and support frame to direct the movement of the moveable sheaves and the means for supporting the object.

2. An apparatus for transferring an object from a carrier in accordance with claim 1 wherein:

the traveling guide and support frame comprises means mounted on the drive means at one end and having the moveable sheaves rotatably mounted thereto, said means having upwardly extending portions on either side of the drive means and outwardly extending flange portions and,

the fixed guide means comprises a member extending along each side of the drive means including a vertical portion having upper and lower side portions extending outwardly therefrom at spaced intervals, the flange portion of the traveling guide and support frame riding therebetween.

3. The apparatus for transferring an object from a carrier in accordance with the claim 1 wherein:

said object comprises a movable wheeled dolly, said dolly being guided in either of two predetermined directions from the carrier to accomplish a transfer operation.

4. The apparatus for transferring an object from a carrier in accordance with claim 2 wherein:

said moveable sheaves are mounted with their axes at right angles to said traveling guide and support frame. 

1. An apparatus for transferring an object from a carrier in a predetermined direction comprising: means for supporting the object on the carrier, at least one moveable sheave rotatably mounted and moveable with respect to the means for supporting the object, at least one stationary sheave rotatably mounted on the carrier, the axis of said sheave being parallel to the axis of the moveable sheave, a cable fixedly mounted at one end to the carrier and extending to and about the moveable sheave and then to the stationary sheave and finally being mounted at the other end to the means for supporting the object, drive means coupled to the moveable sheave for moving said sheave and the means for supporting the object in a predetermined direction, the movement of said supporting means bearing a fixed relation to the movement of the sheave a traveling guide and support frame connected to the moveable sheaves and one end of the drive means at the end and Slidably engaging the other end of the drive means and, fixed guide means engaging the traveling guide and support frame to direct the movement of the moveable sheaves and the means for supporting the object.
 2. An apparatus for transferring an object from a carrier in accordance with claim 1 wherein: the traveling guide and support frame comprises means mounted on the drive means at one end and having the moveable sheaves rotatably mounted thereto, said means having upwardly extending portions on either side of the drive means and outwardly extending flange portions and, the fixed guide means comprises a member extending along each side of the drive means including a vertical portion having upper and lower side portions extending outwardly therefrom at spaced intervals, the flange portion of the traveling guide and support frame riding therebetween.
 3. The apparatus for transferring an object from a carrier in accordance with the claim 1 wherein: said object comprises a movable wheeled dolly, said dolly being guided in either of two predetermined directions from the carrier to accomplish a transfer operation.
 4. The apparatus for transferring an object from a carrier in accordance with claim 2 wherein: said moveable sheaves are mounted with their axes at right angles to said traveling guide and support frame. 